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Monday, April 16, 2012

DVD review: Get A Real Job, Numbnuts

Get a Real Job, Numbnuts is the four-disk box set featuring a decade's worth of stand up comedy from Christopher Titus. It is available through his website http://christophertitus.com for the low price of $75 plus shipping. When you consider you are getting all four of his specials (over six hours of comedy) and each set comes signed by the comedian himself, that's a pretty sweet deal. You can also purchase each of the shows individually.

Now, long-time readers of my blog know I am a huge fan of Titus' comedy (just click here to read my 2007 post - go ahead, I'll wait...). Given that, it is no surprise then that I was very eager to pick up this collection. I've already watched the set through one time since I got it at the end of next week and will no doubt be viewing these shows again and again.

The set starts with the 2004 show Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding. This special in a lot of ways is a summation of many of the storylines that the comedian presented on his sitcom Titus, which ran three seasons on FOX from 2000 to 2002. Is is very personal, touching upon Titus' past with family and relationships. There is an added bonus feature of an interview with his father and brother Dave as well.

I have seen this show in its entirety at least three or four times on cable prior to watching the DVD this weekend. For me, it never gets old. He really puts the "fun" in dysfunctional.

Next is the 2007 5th Annual End of the World Tour show. As a father of two, Titus trains his eye on how messed up things have become in the world since 9/11. From terrorism to racial injustices to the Catholic church, his sharp wit takes a swipe at them all.

What I like about this special is how Titus mixes the political and social commentary with the personal stories about family. The sections on his visiting Iraq to perform for the troops and the passing of his father are standouts here.

From 2009, Titus brings us Love is Evol. This special goes back to being very personal again as Titus delves into his divorce from "Kate" (for legal reasons, that is now how he must refer to his ex on stage - I kind of would have gone with "She Who Shall Not Be Named" myself) and then his return to the dating pool with his new girlfriend Rachel.

This disk has a couple bonus features as well. First, there is a behind the scenes look at the photo shoot for the cover of the DVD. Next, his crew goes out into the crowd before the show to ask them about their Valentine's Day and relationship horror stories. Finally, Titus presents a fourteen day countdown of Valentine's Day tips.

This show had me laughing hysterically. For me, whenever Titus is focusing on personal events from his life (even if tweeked a hair for extra comedic effect), I find that makes the shows more honest and sincere. If you have ever been in love, you will relate to this show. I cannot wait to sit down with my wife and watch this one; I know she'll enjoy it.

The set closes out with his latest DVD from 2011 Neverlution. In his latest show, he recaps the last decade and how the US as a country has quickly lost the edge that had made us the world leader we once were. No topic is off-limits. From obesity to prescription drugs to "every kid gets a trophy" to technological isolation, Titus tackles them all with a passion for change and a peppering of laughs. This one is about a revolution, about a time to make a change before it is too late.

As a faithful follower of the Titus Podcast, many of these points are very familiar to me as they are topics Titus has covered in his weekly hour-plus session straight from the "Combustion Lounge". He opens each broadcast by delivering the "Armageddon Update" on the topic of the day in a similar tone to this special. He then proceeds to discuss that topic and many other current events with his intelligent, beautiful girlfriend Bombshell Rae (comedian Rachel Bradley) and long-time friend Stuntman Tommy Primeau. As their tag-line goes, they are "never unbiased and always unbalanced". Occasionally the show takes a hard right turn topic-wise, but they always manage to bring things back around by the end of the hour.

Since it often a couple years between each full length show and he hasn't gotten back to a weekly sitcom yet (I'm always hoping...), the podcast is a perfect way for me to get a steady dose of his humor. I love that Titus tackles events right out of the headlines. Bombshell Rae provides an intelligent counter-point to the discussion while Tommy adds fun impressions and interesting anecdotes from his viewpoint as well.

You can hear the current Titus Podcast from the website - click here or get the whole back catalog from iTunes - click here or on your Zune - click here.